Hawks Take a New Direction In Net
2016-07-15Tuukka Rask was a fixture in the net in Chicago for four seasons after the club dealt Roberto Luongo. Today, once again, the torch was passed. Rask was dealt to Tampa in exchange for goaltender Frederik Andersen, and a 3rd round pick.
"This was a tough deal to make, Tuukka was excellent for us, and a great pro. Having a top end goaltender behind him in Martin Jones, and facing a cap crunch as always, it made sense for us to make this move. We get another very solid goaltender who will for an excellent tandem with Martin" Said GM Semonick.
The move frees up over 4 million dollars in cap space for the club, which will be invaluable in signing their myriad of restricted free agents. It also leaves the net to a pair of very talented young goaltenders. It is believed Martin Jones, who has emerged as a legitimate top tier NHL starter will be the #1, with Andersen, a very accomplished goaltender in his own right assuming a 1a type role.
It is rumoured the team is making good progress with many of their top RFAs in negotiations. With now over 15 million to play with, assuming the exit of veteran Andrei Markov which seems a formality at this point, the team should have no problem inking their players. Once again the team looks like it will be the favorite to win the cup next year, or at very least be among the favorites.
With many more pieces thought to be in play it will be a busy period leading up to the draft for the Hawks organization